EricEdwards

I'm hopeful that you're latest procedure is going according to plan for you. I admire your persistence and perseverance. I've gotten cold feet over the past number of months.

Very impressive and well done.

Excellent result. Cost involved?

How much did it cost and How many procedures were required ?

👍

I think when clients start using the words like battle to convince clinicians on their goals, this may not lead to a favourable long term outcome, in my opinion. Based on my observations and opinion, the best hair transplant specialists, are first and foremost, psychotherapists who come to an agreement on managed expectations.

That's a very good point as to whether or not it was implied beard hair in the 5k count.

I agree.

It could be the clinic made an offer they couldn't refuse (subject to not discussing on public forums until further notice) but then again I could be wrong!

The clinic states that the quality of the surgeries are unaffected by the individual surgeons or pricing package, as all surgeons have been trained to a set standard of the clinic. I am open to correction on this however.

Thanks for this. One of the things that I was curious about, was not just the shape of head but the overall size, and whether this impacts on graft numbers and density. Contributors to this forum have answered that for me, including the video of doctor Pittella.

I was thinking of taking topical finasteride but I'm unsure if it's available in my country

Interesting. What did you take?

Yes it does seem counterintuitive that increasing finasteride may lead to an increase slightly in DHT levels. However, looking at the video below, it may seem that taking finasteride at levels above 1 mg may not lead to a significant reduction in DHT levels. I welcome your thoughts on the video below which was presented by two physicians: https://youtu.be/htBPxLOC47I?si=5h2-lNSxWHUtzmP9

Thank you Niko. You had started my journey on natural DHT reducers. I'm considering purchasing my derma roller in the next week or so. Based on my research it seems that 1.5 mm is the optimum depth of needle. Anything over 2mm may lead to damage to the hair follicle roots.

That is the question. Based on my empirical observations I haven't seen any increase in hair follicles but I haven't seen any decrease either. I am going to continue with my citizen research for another 12 months to see if my male pattern baldness has stabilised. Another interesting phenomenon with taking DHT reducers, it may lead to a slight increase in testosterone levels. Based on my testosterone results being above the upper threshold, at 47 years of age, one may conclude that this may be correct.

At 4:38 in following video, two medical practitioners outline the benefit of 1 mg of finasteride as opposed to anything greater: https://youtu.be/htBPxLOC47I?si=5h2-lNSxWHUtzmP9

Yes interesting observation. Apparently, taking greater than 1 mg of finasteride does not lead to an inherent increase in reducing DHT levels. Hence the 5 mg of finasteride phenomenon as outlined in my citizen research. I am open to correction however.

I finally received the results of my dihydrotestosterone test. This was my first test which followed six months taking organic pumpkin seed oil and stinging nettle oil. I will attempt to compare, as best I can, the results of Niko with my results in relation to the impact of natural remedies on dihydrotestosterone levels. Whilst I did not take the test prior to taking the natural supplements, nonetheless, I will compare the result with Niko who had taken the test both before and after his natural supplements. My Profile Age: 47 Baldness type: Norwood grade 5/6 Supplements taken: ➤20 mL of organic stinging nettle (Salus brand) daily for six months ➤1 tablespoon of organic pumpkin seed oil daily for over six months. Niko Results: In order to give a comparison of results. I have attempted, as best I could, to convert Niko's units from pg/ml into mnol/L. I undertook this conversion using ChatGPT and Google Bard. Niko Test 1: Without supplements - dihydrotestosterone level -3299.7 pg/ml = 11.36 mnol/L Niko Test 2: With Stinging Nettle tea and Saw Palmetto supplements - dihydrotestosterone level - 1890.8 pg/ml = 6.51 mnol/L Niko Test 3: With Stinging Nettle tea and Saw Palmetto supplements - dihydrotestosterone level - 614.4 pg/ml = 2.12 mnol/L My Results: Eric's Test: With 20 mL of organic stinging nettle tea and 1 tablespoon of organic pumpkin seed oil daily - dihydrotestosterone level 1.88 mnol/L Eric Edwards testosterone test 30.47 An interesting observation is that my testosterone level is on the upper limit of normality. This is intriguing given that I'm a middle-aged man. I was informed by my hair transplant specialist that my testosterone levels would "normalise". This seems not to be the case. Observations: As you can see from the above test, my dihydrotestosterone level is within the same parameters as Niko's result. In fact, it appears to be somewhat better lower at 1.88. Nonetheless, this is predicated by the conversion of units. Although I have noticed a decline in my libido somewhat, I have yet to see any observational impact on my male pattern baldness. Also, from looking at the result depicted above, the lower limit and upper limit of dihydrotestosterone is between 0.33 - 3.01 nmol/L for males. This is based on my interpretation of the "units"and may mean that my dihydrotestosterone result is within the the normal range. However, I am open to correction on this. My Goal My goal is to stabilise my male pattern baldness prior to a planned hair restoration. I shall continue to take the supplements for the next several months to ascertain if this is the case. Finasteride Impact I was intrigued to know what impact finasteride would have on the dihydrotestosterone levels. Based on inputs into Google Bard, I received the following results in regards to the impact of finasteride on dihydrotestosterone levels [1],[2][3],[4]: Dosage Typical DHT Level (nmol/L) 1 mg daily 0.27-0.57 It is my understanding that 1 mg of finasteride, taken daily, is the standard prescribed daily dosage for the treatment of male pattern baldness and that there is no inherent decrease in DHT levels with an increase in finasteride intake above 1mg. Conclusions: I acknowledge that my experiment of sorts, could not be considered in any way based on sound experimentation principles. Nonetheless, the rough results indicate that natural supplements of stinging nettle and pumpkin seed oil may have a positive impact on reducing dihydrotestosterone levels, in my opinion. Based on my experience, I have yet to see this transferring into a positive impact on reversing my male pattern baldness. I have been using the said supplements for the past six months and there is no improvement in my male pattern baldness. I have noticed that my hair follicles are somewhat more stronger to touch but this is negligible. I have noticed a somewhat slight reduction in my libido. My core goal is to have the intervention maintain my current hair prior to undertaking hair restoration surgery. I will continue to take the supplements for the next several months and observe my male pattern baldness. If my male pattern baldness does not stabilise, I may consider using finasteride 1 mg per day. References [1] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): https://www.healthline.com/health/propecia [2] Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs./finasteride./drg-20063819?p=1 [3] U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513329/ [4] The Endocrine Society: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22563890/

Thank you very much

If you don't mind me asking what was the cost? I see on their website it's €9 per graft which is in the premium range.

Truly an excellent result. What was the overall cost? Forgive me if this was already answered.

Well, you have a point.

"Saw palmetto is likely safe when used for up to 3 years." https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-971/saw-palmetto

Eurofins provide DHT testing in Ireland so I imagine they may also do this in the UK